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Oedipus the King
Background Information Aristotle’s ideas on a tragedy play: Aristotle is one of the greatest philosophers of his time. His work ranged from the sciences to literature and poetics. Although theater was not one of Aristotle’s main researches he has completed several writings about the both comedy and tragedy. Although the writings on his interpretations of comedy are not in our possession his work concerning tragedy is. He believed that a tragedy is broken into six different sections, these groups included a plot, diction or style, thought, spectacle, character, and lyric poetry or song. Of all these element he believed that the plot made the play a tragedy, and that the other aspects were added on to make the play better. Aristotle was also under the opinion that plays were an imitation of our reality, this may be why he believes that a tragedy inspires truth and pity. The play brings out a sense of reality, imitating normal life but adding some artistic twist to it. He also felt that the instances of the play with which the audience feels these emotions should be up to them, the composer or actors should not need to push these emotions. They should flow out when they the reality of the play has been expressed. Aristotle concluded that a tragedy should be like a painting, where reality can be seen but also given more dimensions with different colors. Sophocles: Sophocles is the author behind one hundred and twenty three plays, some of which include include Ajax, Antigone, The Woman of Trichis, Philoctetes, Oedipus at Colonus, Oedipus the KIng, ''and Electra''. These plays listed are the only plays that have survived to this day and are some of his finest pieces of work. Sophocles was believed to have been born around the time of c. 495 B.C and lived to 406 B.C. Although the approximate dates of his birth and death are unknown Sophocles was a well known for his plays, especially his tragedies. Oedipus Rex was one of the plays he has become most well known for, this along with its sequel are tragedies depicting the story of a man who was given an ill fated prophesy. These plays, along with Antgone, are Theban plays, meaning that they consist of three plays. Sophocles was also the first play writer of his time to include the element of using three actors in his play. By doing this he was able to make the characters more detailed, this allowed for the chorus to become less essential in the play. Sophocles successful writing style and new approach brought him into a higher class of tragedians, his unique layout and interesting ideas help to draw the audience into his story. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophocles Delphi: Delphi was originally found when a man, passing through the area of Delphi was suddenly overcome by a spirit. Soon his encounter became a widely known story, and people from all over wanted to have the same spiritual inhabitation that he had. However, because the home of the spirit was next to a chasm many people fell down into the pit. This led to the decision that one person, a woman, would become the oracle of Delphi. This oracle would remain next to the chasm and deliver prophesies from Apollo. Some sources say that Apollo was not origionally a part of the phrophasies given at Delphi, but he soon became integrated in. It is said that he only became involved after he had captured Gia, the earth mothers snake that lived in Delphi, he then killed the snake and took the oracle out of the snake using it to deliver prophesies. The oracles relation to Oedipus Rex is that she tells of the great prophasy that involves Oedipus killing his father and marrying his mother. She is also referenced to when King Laios is on his journey out of the city to see her because he wants to learn how to remove the sphinx from outside of Thebes. And when King Oedipus wishes to learn why Thebes has become sick, and how to stop the sickness. Although she is not a direct character in the play, she is an important attribute to the entire plot of the story. http://www.coastal.edu/ashes2art/delphi2/misc-essays/oracle_of_delphi.html - Structure of a Greek Tragety: A Greek Tragty can be broken into four part. Firstly is the Prologos, which conists of everything that occurs before the parados. Next is the Parados, here the chorus first enters into the play. Alternating refers to the switch between choral passages and dialog. Lastly the exodos brings an end to the play, and the chorus leaves. 1. Prologos: *Introductary words. *Sets stage. 2. Parados: *Citoral entry. 3. Alternating: *Episodes. *Choral passages. 4. Exodos: *Choras departure *End of play. Plot Oedipus is the prevailing King of Thebes. He is the conqueror of the Sphinx and the beloved ruler of the people. However, he hits upon a trail of misfortune that leaves his life torn in two. The past quickly catches up on the King and he is forced to face earlier decisions that have decided his fate. The town of Thebes, the main setting for Oedipus Rex, has become “a dead city” (p. 5). Sickness has struck and everyone is affected. Death has snuck past the city walls and seeped into the every house and field. Oedipus, the main character of this play, attempts to solve the problem, he is a King who supports his people and cannot bear to see them in such great agony. For this reason he sends Creon, the brother of the Iocaste to Delphi to speak with the oracle. After a great period of time Creon returns, baring news telling of the Oracles word. Creon explains that the oracle has said that the only way to rid Thebes of the incurable disease is “by exile or death, blood for blood.” (p. 7) The source of the plague came from the death of the old king, so the only way to rid the city of its new disease is to kill the murderer of King Laios. Hearing this news Othello jumps quickly on the idea of finding the murderer, felling that this is the just thing to do to honor his wife’s first husband. Othello talks to the people and makes a promise, he promises that whom ever the murderer is if they confess to Oedipus then they can be released safely into exile. However, if they hide, then that man will be pushed away from every house. He will not be spoken to, allowed to be part of sacrifices, prayer, or ritual. Soon Teiresias is brought to the King. Teiresias see’s everything, however unlike most humans he see’s with his mind and not his eyes. He has a lifetime of experiences, and has been both a male and a female. Because of these characteristics he contains great wisdom, but when brought in-front of the King to see who has committed the terrible crime Teiresias refuses to answer, for fear of upsetting the King. “Let me go home. Bear your own fate, and I’ll bear mine. It is better so: trust what I say” (p. 17) For he has seen that the man who killed King Liaos is King Oedipus. Both men quickly become enraged by the other, but finally Teiresias tell Othello what he is supposed to want to hear. Except Othello does not believe the news. He thinks that Creon has brought Teiresias to him as a set up because he believes Creon wants to take Othello’s throne. This is the exact opposite intentions of Creon, and he tries to explain that he does not want to be king. However Othello has made up his mind that Creon set him up. The play continues on with the characters arguing back and forth never able to decide who killed the king. Iocaste appears to make the men stop arguing, she explains that the oracle had also told Iocaste and Laios that their first born son would kill the King, however their son was killed when he was three days old. So the oracle could not have been right. This news, however, does not help to calm Othello, he remembers the day that he killed a man. He described the incident and asks Iocaste to explain what she known about Laios’s death. This leads to Othello ordering the one slave who escaped to be brought back to Thebes and to tell the story once more to Othello. While the man is brought to Thebes a messenger is sent from Corinth to inform Othello that the King, Polybos has died and the city of Corinth wishes for Othello to come back and rule. Because Othello still believes the prophecy that the oracle has told concerning him marrying his mother, he declines. But is delighted with the news that Polybus has died, this is because to his knowledge his father is Polybos, and with this man dead he can not have killed his father as the oracle once told him. Then the messenger, who delivered the news, informs Othello that his parents where not who he believed them to be after all. That three days after he was born he was brought to the top of a hill by another shepherd, here the shepherd met the messenger, who at the time was also a shepherd. They came to an agreement that they would not leave the baby on the top of the mountain to die, but they secretly arranged that the second shepherd would take him back to the city of Corinth and give him to the King and Queen. Hearing this story Iocaste remembers the terrible prophecy made, and connects these two things together. She becomes the first to understand who Othello is. However she does not tell him, she tries to force the matter away. Pleading that it will be forgotten, but this does not happen, and soon the old shepherd is brought to Othello for questioning. The shepherd arrives and the truth is quickly learned. As the oracle had foreseen Othello killed his father and married his mother. Soon Iocaste kills herself, and Othello, in a fit of madness stabs his own eyes out and becomes blind. Othello does as he said the murderer would do and sends himself into exile, bring and end to the play. Basic Plot Breakdown: 1. Oedipus asks if Polybos and Merope are his parents 2. Leaves Corinth 3.Goes towards Thebes 4.Spots old man 5.Kills the older man who is really Laios, but he is disguised, he also kills all the slaves except one who escapes 6.Solves riddle of the sphinx that the city of Thebes can not solve 7. Thebes loves him for his heroic actions 8. Marries Iocasie without knowing she is really his mother 9. Thebes falls to sickness 10. Creon is sent ot the oracle to find out why Thebes has become sick 11. Prophesy is told 12. Teiresias tells Oedipus that he killed the King 13. Messenger brings news that KIng Polybos is dead 14. Laios's shepherd explains the story 15. Iocaste kills herself 16. Oedipus stabs his own eyes out 17. Oedipus is sent into exile Places of the story: Thebes: *Laios (King) married to Iocasie (Queen) *Their child is Oedipus (they get rid of him) Corinth: *Polybos (King) married to Merope (Queen) *Son us Oedipus (couldn't have children then sheppard gave them this child he "found" in the hills) Delphi: *Oricle of Apollo *Riddle of the sphinx Characters 'Oedipus' Oedipus is the main character of Oedipus Rex. ''At the beginning of the play, Oedipus is speaking to the people of Thebes. Thebes had recently been ravaged by plague and famine, and Oedipus is trying to console the people. Oedipus is a gallant and honorable king. Ever since taking the throne in Thebes, he tried his hardest to do what is right for the people and the land. At the very beginning of scene one, he addresses the people and says that he is hurting very much because he not only feels his own personal pain, but shares the pain of everyone in Thebes. Oedipus is a very sympathetic king. He always tries to understand and feel the pain of others. Oedipus is also not the smartest hero. It takes him a rather long time to figure out the truth about his parents and incestuous relationship with his mother. Even when the other characters around him have discovered the truth, Oedipus is still unaware. He is also adamant about discovering the truth, even when those around him tell him not to. He is extremely tenacious which is useful in most situations, but then causes him to be extremely stubborn. It is actually Oedipus’ stubbornness that is his downfall. If he had listened to Iocaste when she had advised him to stop pursuing the truth, he would not have discovered the real story and would have continued to live his blissfuly ignorant life. Oedipus is also a very troubled man. When he discovers the truth about his past and his family, he chooses to blind himself and gouge out his eyes instead of dealing with the situation in a constructive way. He begins to loathe himself for unintentionally killing his father and having an incestuous relationship with his mother. He believes that he is unworthy of the position of the king of Thebes. He follows his own promise of exiling the murderer, and leaves the city so that he will never spend time with another human again. He states that “Death will not ever come to me through sickness or in any natural way: I have been preserved for some unthinkable fate.” Oedipus believes that he is unworthy of death and must instead continue to live and suffer the consequences of his actions. 'Creon' Throughout the play, Creon is one of Oedipus’ closest friends and main confidants. Creon is the brother of Iocaste and became the king of Thebes after Laius was killed. When Oedipus believes that Creon is conspiring against him, he stays swears that he is innocence and is willing and ready to take punishment. When he becomes the king of Thebes once again, he follows previous orders and banishes Oedipus into the wilderness. 'Tiresias Tiresias is a famous character of many Greek myths. He was a blind man who was made a prophet by the Gods. He is also known for turning into a woman for seven years. Tiresias was transformed into a woman by the goddess Hera. Once while walking along a path, Tiresias came upon two snakes mating and proceeded to hit them with his walking staff. This upset Hera, who immediately turned him into a woman. Tiresias lived for seven years as a woman, and according to some myths was married and had children. Once again, Tiresias was walking along a path and came across two mating snakes. According to myth, he either trampled the snakes or left them alone and was miraculously transformed back into a man. After his change between male and female, he was asked by Zeus and Hera which gender received more pleasure from sex. Zeus believed it to be women, Hera believed it to be men. Tiresias agreed with Zeus and said that women received more pleasure from sex. In a rage, Hera blinded him. Zeus could not give Tiresias his sight back, so instead he turned him into a prophet. Another version of the story says that Athena blinded Tiresias after he accidentally saw her bathing. His mother begged Athena to return his sight, but she was unable to. As a consolation, she turned him into a prophet. When Oedipus and Tiresias meet in Scene one, Tiresias does not give direct answers. Everything he says at first to Oedipus is very cryptic. Oedipus finds Tiresias to be quite abrasive, and begins to insult him. Teiresias is angered by Oedipus’ behavior and reveals the truth to him. Oedipus, however, is too angry and does not comprehend what Teiresias is saying to him. The two men continue to bicker and then Teiresias leaves bitterly. Teiresias is an unhappy man. He never asked to be a prophet and is does not want to be accountable for everything associated with being a prophet. He is a grumpy old man who probably wishes that he could be left alone in his old age. However, he is a crucial character, not only to Oedipus Rex, but all of Greek Mythology. '''Iocaste Iocaste is Oedipus’ mother, wife, and the queen of Thebes. When Oedipus was a child, she and her husband gave up their son and sent him into the wilderness to die because they feared prophecy. When Oedipus defeated the Sphinx and freed the city of Thebes, he immediately took the throne and married the widowed queen. She and Oedipus had four children. At the beginning of the play, Iocaste plays the role of loving wife. She tends to Oedipus and supports him in a time of deep struggle in Thebes. When Oedipus and her brother Creon quarrel, she breaks up the disagreement and calms both men. However as time progresses, we see that Iocaste is a nurturing and compassionate woman. When she realizes the truth about Oedipus’ past and her relationship with her son, she attempts to protect him from the truth. As she began to think more about the fulfillment of the prophecy, she had a mental episode, and hanged herself. Iocaste is a loving mother, even if she does not show it at the beginning of Oedipus’ life. When he was just a baby, she gave him up for his own good. Later on, when she discovers the truth, she tries her hardest to protect her son from the horrible truth. She is always loving and nurturing to the other characters in the story. Laios Laios is the former King of Thebes, husband of Iocaste, and father of Oedipus. He is dead before the beginning of the play, so there not any of his dialogue within the story. However, we learn about Laios through flashback. Laios is killed, according to prophecy, by his son Oedipus. While Laios was taveling from Thebes to visit the oracle, he comes across Oedipus at a fork in the road. The two men disagreed on who would step off the road, and eventually Oedipus stepped around. As he passed Laios who was sitting in a carriage, Laios bonked him on the head with his staff. In a fit of rage Oedipus then killed Laios and all of his attendants except for one. Because his murderer went free, Thebes suffered from famine and disease. Important Quotes “You sightless, witless, senseless, mad old man!” (20) When Oedipus and Teiresias bicker in the first scene, Oedipus tries to insult Teiresias by saying that he is old and senile. Another more literal translation of the Greek text says “Blind in your ears and mind and eyes you are.” That translation demonstrates that Oedipus believes that Teiresias is not only blind but also not intelligent and unwilling to listen. Teiresias does not react, instead he continues to make cryptic remarks about Apollo and destiny while Oedipus interprets his words incorrectly. “The man you have been looking for all this time, the damned man, the murderer of Laios, That man is in Thebes. To your mind he is foreign born, but it will soon be shown that he is a Theban, a revelation that will fail to please. A blind man, who has his eyes now; a penniless man, who is rich now; and he will go tapping the strange earth with his staff to the children with whom he lives now he will be brother and father - the very same; to her who bore him, son and husband - the very same who came to his father’s bed, wet with his father’s blood.” (24-25) This quote from Teiresias is from the end of his argument with Oedipus. Oedipus is frustrated with Teiresias’ riddles. He is too angry to comprehend what Teiresias is saying to him. This passage explains the prophecy and perfectly foreshadows the ending of the story. Oedipus believes that he is from Corinth, when instead he is Theban. This proves that he is the Theban that is believed to be a foreigner. Very soon after Oedipus kills Laios, he arrives in Thebes. He is promptly married to the Theban queen, Iocaste. When Oedipus finally learns of his past and his mother, he gouges out his own eyes and is banished from Thebes, making him poor and blind. After being exiled, Oedipus does indeed explore the land with his staff, as foreseen by Teiresias. This passage is where the reader or viewer begins to understand the past and present, while Oedipus still does not. “Poor foolish men, what wicked din is this? With Thebes sick to death, is it not shameful that you should rake some private quarrel up? Oedipus Come into the house- and you, Creon, go now: Let us have no more of this tumult over nothing.” (34) In this passage, Iocaste is in the process of breaking up a squabble between Creon and Oedipus. Oedipus has just accused Creon of plotting against him and committing treason. Iocaste comes out of the palace to end the disagreement. This passage shows that she is very maternal and does not put up with the nonsense of the men around her. Her tone and choice of words sound similar to a mother breaking up a fight between two children. “Have no more fear of sleeping with your mother: how many men, in dreams, have lain with their mothers! no reasonable man is troubled by such things.” (51) This statement by Iocaste, from before her moment of realization, was so profound that it sprouted an entire psychological theory. Sigmund Freud’s theory of the Oedipus Complex was inspired by this simple sentence. The Oedipus complex says that young boys, from age three to six, will try to develop stronger intimate relationships with their mother and also compete with their father for her attention. It theorizes that subconsciously boys also want to kill their fathers, so that there is no longer competition to be with the mother. Overall, it is simply the idea that young boys unconsciously want to kill their fathers and marry their mothers. This is similar to Oedipus’ situation, but Oedipus did not knowingly kill his father or commit incest with his mother. This is where the theory and the story are different. “Ah God! It was true! All the prophecies! -Now, O light, may I look upon you for the last time! I, Oedipus, Oedipus damned in his birth, in his marriage damned. Damned in the blood he shed with his own hand.” (64) This is Oedipus’ moment of epiphany. He has finally realized that the prophecy is entirely true and he has killed his father and married his mother. Also, he foreshadows blinding himself when he speaks of looking upon light for the last time. “When she left us... she ran to her apartment in the house, her hair clutched by the fingers of both hands. She closed the doors behind her’ then, by that bed where long ago the fatal son was conceived - that son who should bring about his father’s death - we heard her call upon Laios, dead so many years, and heard her wail for the double fruit of her marriage. A husband by her husband, children by her child.... And there we saw her hanging, her body swaying from the cruel cord she had noosed about her neck. A great sob broke from him, heartbreaking to hear... Oedipus ripped from her gown the golden brooches that were her ornament, and raised them, and plunged them down straight into his own eyeballs, crying... He struck at his eyes - not once, but many times; and the blood spattered his beard, bursting from his ruined sockets like red hail.” (68-69) This passage describes the tragic final scenes of the play. Now that both Iocaste and Oedipus are aware of the truth, they react strongly and dramatically. It shows the strong love that Oedipus had for Iocaste, and his great disgust with himself. This final catastrophe is the final part of the prophesy. Oedipus is now blind, and Iocaste is dead. This passage is also significant because the audience does not see the final action. Because Greek stages were sacred places, there could not be any kind of blood shed on stage. Because this scene is very gory, and would require the actor playing Oedipus to simulate stabbing his own eyes, it would be blasphemous. Instead, an unimportant character, in this case the Second Messenger, comes on stage and describes the gory event in detail. Then the actor playing Oedipus is able to come on stage acting as if he had recently just maimed himself. Oedipus as a Tragic Hero Oedipus perfectly embodies the archetype of a tragic hero. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must invoke pity and fear within the reader. A tragic hero must be noble, brave, and genuine person who is faced with something that turns them bad. The tragic hero must also be one who falls from a high rank or status to a low status, perhaps even becoming a pariah or social outcast. In Oedipus Rex, King Oedipus tries his best to end a plague on the city of Thebes, loses his status as king and is exiled to live in the wilderness, making the reader pity him and fear for his future. When the story opens, Oedipus is speaking with the city of Thebes. Thebes has recently been devastated by plague, and the oracle has blamed it on a murderer that is living among the people. According to the oracle, if the murderer of the former king, Laïos, is removed from Thebes, the plague will be lifted. When Oedipus hears this message, he curses the murderer and vows to punish him for his crimes. Oedipus tries his hardest to do the right thing and be noble. This passage shows that he is a worthy king, and tries his hardest to benefit his people. He immediately tries to begin a search for the murderer. Although he is unable to catch the murderer in this scene, it sets up the chain of events that reveal the truth to him. Further along in the story, Oedipus learns of his past and the truth about his wife and parents. When he learns that he was the one that killed Laïos so many years ago, he keeps his word to exile the murderer. He demands to be lead from Thebes and exiled. This is the point where he loses his high status as king. Oedipus knows what he did was wrong, and his self-exile shows that he is a man of his word. He does not take advantage of his status as king in order to avoid punishment, but instead embraces exile because he feels it is the only way to make up for his horrendous actions. The loss of his king status is one of the points of the play that should invoke pity for Oedipus within the reader. Falling from high rank is one of the main characteristics of the tragic hero, and Oedipus definitely represents this when he goes from beloved king of Thebes to exile in the wilderness. The tragic hero must also conjure feelings of fear for himself. The audience is aware of the prophecy surrounding Oedipus’ life. They are also aware of his short temper and easily flustered personality. This in combination with foreshadowing by Teiresias causes the audience to fear for Oedipus’ future and well-being. As the truth begins to unfold, more uncertainty arises about Oedipus and his mental state. During his moment of realization, he speaks of never seeing light again. This invokes fear of his intentions. Would he commit suicide? The audience does not know, building suspense. Once he has gouged out his own eyes, he becomes much more sympathetic. He is now a blind, poor man about to be exiled indefinitely into the wilderness. There is no way to be sure of his future. Oedipus’ final actions invoke fear and anxiety within the reader because nothing is certain. Oedipus is a prime example of the tragic hero. In his life, and the play, he exhibits most, if not all, of the characteristics of a tragic hero. He is an archetypal hero with noble and positive qualities, he loses his status as king, and invokes fear and pity within the reader. Part of the reason this play is so timeless is because Oedipus is such a dynamic character. His character can be studied so deeply and interpreted in so many ways, and that is a huge part of what makes the play so interesting. Category:THEMES